As shown in FIG. 9, an automobile 70 has a body panel 70a formed with a plurality of window openings 75. The window openings 75 are closed by windowpanes, which comprise transparent glass sheets 72.
In Description, the upper edge of a glass sheet (windowpane) 72 refers to an edge along the roof 79 of the automobile 70, and the lateral edges of the glass sheet 72 refer to edges along pillars 77 of the automobile 70.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X—X of FIG. 9. The upper edge as a part of the peripheral edge of the glass sheet 72 is firmly attached, by an adhesive 71, to an attachment flange 76, which is provided at the peripheral edge around a window opening 75 of the body panel 70a and on an interior side behind the body panel 70a. The attachment flange 76 and the body panel 70a are connected by an opening side wall 75a. The attachment flange 76 extends along the peripheral edge of the window opening 75 of the body panel 70a. The attachment flange 76 has the upper edge and the lateral edges of the glass sheet 72 bonded thereto.
If a bonded portion can be seen from an exterior side through the transparent glass sheet 72, or if the adhesive 71 or the like is seen, the appearance degrades. If a bonded portion is irradiated by sunshine from the exterior side through the transparent glass sheet 72, the adhesive 71 is deteriorated by the ultraviolet in the sunshine.
In order to cope with this problem, the peripheral edge of the glass sheet 72 has a rear side (interior side) provided with a coating member 73 in a dark color. The adhesive 71 is interposed between the coating member 73 and the attachment flange 76. When seen from the exterior side, the adhesive 71 is concealed by the coating member 73. For example, a black coating member, which comprises, e.g., a fired product made of ceramic paste, has been used as the coating member 73 in a dark color.
In recent years, the glass sheet 72 for an automobile has been demanded to be configured so as to be capable of easily and rapidly removed from the body panel 70a on the assumption that the glass sheet would be recycled.
However, the glass sheet has been unable to be removed in simple fashion in the prior art stated earlier since the glass sheet 72 is firmly fixed to the body panel 70a by the adhesive 71. In order to remove the glass sheet in the prior art, a thread-shaped cutter or a bar-shaped cutter has been passed through the adhesive shown in FIG. 10 in right and left directions in this figure and is moved along the peripheral edge of the window opening (in a direction perpendicular to the sheet showing this figure) to cut the adhesive 71. This operation has been troublesome, placed a great deal of burden on the operator and required a long period for the operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a windowpane attaching structure and a windowpane removing method capable of easily removing a windowpane from the body panel of an automobile.